Prince Arthur and His Band of Heroes
by plantextract
Summary: After a grave event, Arthur falls into a deep depression. By the will of his parents, he follows a group of 'heroes' to find a way to help himself. TW for death mention, depression, self abuse.
1. Introduction

Once upon a time there lived the Kirkland family, they ruled over the quaint Kingdom of Britannia. The villagers loved the Kirkland family; they were not harsh and cold but kind and warm, taking their time to actually listen to the needs of their people_._ That is not to say that Britannia was the most pleasant place to be. They still had their fair share of thieves, scoundrels, and con artists.

On July fourth Peter Kirkland, the youngest of the five children, was murdered.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the village and even travelled a couple of villages around. King James and Queen Alice were in despair; they had just lost a son and close to losing another. Arthur, being witness to the murder, was affected by it the most. He could hardly sleep and when he did all he saw was his brother's lifeless body.

He refused to come out of his room and ignored his parents worry filled voices. His parents would come into his room and plead for him to talk to them. He would only reply with an 'I'm fine' and then continue mourning.

They had even asked the people of the village for help, promising a reward for those that could get him to speak. But all anyone ever left with was frustration and empty pockets. The prince did come out for social gatherings by the request of his parents. The King and Queen were embarrassed and even more worried by their son's behavior when they found he talked in snippy, offensive sentences and chose to glare at anyone who got close to him. After that year, Arthur's parents had walked by his room to hear a quiet whispering. Thinking someone had been able to get to their son, they walked into the room only to find Arthur staring at the wall with a blank stare, alone. The King led a crying Queen out of the room.

The fourth of July caused Arthur to have a break down. Arthur's older brother Bryn had to drag Arthur out of the wine cellar and back to his room. He would hold and whisper comforting words to Arthur while the younger cried himself to sleep.

Over the next year the amount of nightmares that Arthur had dwindled to nearly none, though they were still very much prominent on the anniversary of Peter's death. Arthur's mood slowly got better. He no longer snapped at people but he still did not speak as much. His parents thought it improvement. He didn't leave the castle very often and when he did the townspeople rejoiced in silence at the sight of the prince.

Over the next years, Arthur's demeanor stayed the same but when his already slim physique began to lose weight his parents became concerned again. They hired a doctor to talk with Arthur. He continued to lose weight.

A couple of weeks after Arthur's twenty-third birthday the door to his room opened unexpectedly.

Arthur looked up from the book he was reading and locked eyes with a man he had never seen before. He had short, almost white hair and crimson eyes.

A smile spread across the man's face. He pulled out of the doorway a bit to shout down the hall, "Hey, unawesome people, I found him!"

The man then walked into Arthur's room uninvited. Arthur in return glared at the man. "Who are you and who let you in?"

The man opened his mouth but was cut off when other people ran into the room and crashed into him, causing a pile of tangled humans on the floor. After a few moments they were able to get up, all five of them. A shiver ran down Arthur's spine when he locked eyes with a tall violet-eyed man who was all too happy considering the events.

"Now, before I was so rudely interrupted." The man from earlier glared at a woman who had entered with him. She returned it with much more ferocity.

"I am the awesome Gilbert Beillshmidt and we are here to save you from yourself!"

"Get out."

"Ahuh. What?" Gilbert frowned. "Nope, that's not how it works, buddy."

"I'm sorry prince Arthur; my friend here is incredibly insensitive. So don't pay him any attention." The woman next to Gilbert spoke up. She had long brown hair that curled at the ends and bright blue-green eyes.

"Hey, not true, you just can't handle my awesomeness, you she-demon!" Gilbert pointed an accusing finger towards the woman.

"What did you just call me?" She cocked an eyebrow at his 'insult'.

"You heard me, bi-!" Another man that was a couple inches taller than Gilbert stepped forward before a fight could break out.

"Hey, hey guys, we just got here, could ya calm down 'cause Artie over there is lookin' kinda pissed."

Arthur glared at the man. He had dark blonde hair with an odd section that stood up in the front and cerulean eyes hidden behind a pair of rectangular spectacles.

"My name is Arthur. Not Artie and for you heathens it would be Prince Arthur." Arthur crossed his arms.

"Well alright Princey, I'm Alfred F. Jones, the hero!" Alfred grinned brightly.

If it were possible, Arthur's glare became even more menacing. "Would you all kindly leave? Now."

The tallest of the group, which towered over Alfred, came forward with a child-like smile on his face. "You have a very strange way of asking for help, _Prince_."

A light-blonde woman with her hair pulled into two low ponytails came to the man's side and put a hand on his arm. "Hehe, no need to get upset, Ivan."

At this moment the King and Queen stepped into the room, distracting Arthur from sending a scathing remark towards any other person.

"Arthur, dear?" His mother made her way across the room to Arthur. Alice enveloped her son in a hug. Arthur tentatively returned the embrace.

"What is going on?" Arthur pulled away slightly.

"Son, these people want to help you." The King gestured to everyone in the room.

The Queen pulled away from Arthur but stayed by his side. "We think it would be best if you went with them."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I am perfectly fine."

The bespectacled blonde coughed into his hand, drawing the attention to him. "Yeah, we're gonna go ahead and leave. We'll be outside."

The trio watched the quintet leave the room, the door clicking closed.

"The maids have already packed your things." James motioned to a pair of bags sitting by the door; a pair of bags that Arthur had not realized had been there.

Arthur frowned and examined the faces of his parents. His mother had a hopeful look on her face and his father looked somber. Arthur slowly shook his head, it was barely noticeable but his mother caught it and the hope in her eyes quickly died. Arthur's father looked a bit disheartened.

"I already told you. I am perfectly fine. I don't need some back-alley miscreants to try and play doctor." Arthur stated harshly, defiantly locking eyes with his father.

"Arthur, this is for the best. You haven't been the same since the incident with Peter."

Arthur froze at the sound of his brother's name. "I…I couldn't…" He tore his gaze away and stared at the floor, his eyes glazed with tears. He felt as if his heart was tearing itself out.

Alice slipped her small hand into her son's. He brought his eyes up to her face, a couple of tears slid down his cheeks. She gave him a reassuring smile and pulled him towards the glass doors leading to the balcony. She pushed a door open with her free hand and pulled Arthur to the twisted railing.

"Now, Arthur, look at our family. How do they look?" She gestured towards the villagers.

Arthur frowned but turned his gaze out towards the scenery. The sun was high in the sky with a few fluffy clouds lazily floating around. Tall trees grew up around the village, nearly concealing it; past that were large valleys of lush green vegetation and further still were huge mountains that looked pale blue from the distance. He dropped his gaze down, a couple of townspeople waved at the royals before returning to their work. Children ran around after each other, laughing excitedly. The obnoxious group from earlier helped out where it was needed. The young woman helped a lady with her garden, Gilbert had the girl with ponytails on his shoulders trying to get a cat out of a tree, and the last two seemed to be distracting a few boys from causing destruction. A gentle breeze ruffled Arthur's and Alice's hair. Arthur took in a breath and closed his eyes. He held it a moment before breathing out and opened his eyes.

He tilted his head towards his mother; a peaceful smile graced her features. "They look happy."

"Hmmm... You want them to continue to be happy, yes?"

"Well, of course!" Arthur stated wholeheartedly. Realization dawned on him when he saw his mother's expression.

"We want you to be happy and then continue to be happy."

"I am happy, mother."

Alice looked unconvinced. "No, Arthur, you're not and I don't think you ever will be. Unless you leave and get past your brother's death."

Arthur sucked in a breath and whispered an apology.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It affected all of us, just in different ways." She pulled Arthur closer. "I want to tell you something and I never want you to forget it."

Arthur met her gaze, and with earnest eyes, she told him. "It wasn't your fault; it was never your fault. We have never blamed you and you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened."

Arthur's eyes widened slightly, a few tears slipped out. "I...I..."

Alice shook her head. "Don't live your life in guilt, get out there and make your life better."

Arthur leaned forward and embraced his mother, burying his face into her shoulder. "Shh... It's all right... We'll always love you Arthur, no matter what."

Arthur nodded against her shoulder, after a few moments he pulled away slightly and looked over to the entranceway. James leaned against the doorway with an endearing smile. He pushed off and joined the two in the hug.

They parted after a while. Arthur took a deep breath in and leaned against the railing, looking down at his people. Alfred looked up at him with a wide smile and waved ecstatically. Arthur brought a hand up and waved back with a small smile against his face. He looked back towards his parents. They were standing next to each other with an arm around the other and smiling lovingly towards Arthur.

Arthur closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "I will...I will go with them."


	2. The First Night

"How exactly do you plan on helping?" Arthur inquired to the taller blonde, who despite Arthur's resistance was carrying Arthur's baggage.

"Well, I figure you just need to see the world and how great it is!" Alfred started, "We weren't sure how long it'd take for you to come around to joinin' us… We planned on traveling for the rest of today and tomorrow to Gallia, see how far we've gotten by then."

Arthur grimaced at that. "You thought taking me to a '_kingdom_' like Gallia would make me think the world is great?"

Alfred looked down at the prince. "Ya don't like Gallia?"

"No. I don't." Arthur glared at the path ahead of them; leading them towards a kingdom Arthur would call 'perverse and uncouth.'

"I'm sure it's changed since the last time you've been there." Alfred reassured the shorter male.

Arthur scoffed. "I doubt it."

"Gilbert I swear on the Great Lord, I will break your nose!" Arthur and Alfred turned around to face the angry voice of Elizaveta.

She had her arm reared back ready to hit Gilbert. The blonde girl was trying to get the two to stop but no one seemed to be listening to her.

"Hey! C'mon guys, what're you doin'?" Alfred called out, almost in defeat, "This is no way to impress princey over here!"

Arthur crossed his arms and huffed, "Where are we stopping for the night?"

Elizaveta pushed Gilbert away from herself and brushed her skirt off, "I believe there's a small village a couple hours from here. It's called…" She trailed off and searched for something in her pocket.

"It's called Borealia." Madelyn spoke, though it was ignored by those around her.

"AHA!" Elizaveta waved a piece of paper around, "It's called Borealia!"

"Yo, Maddie already said that," Gilbert snatched the paper from her hand. Madelyn looked taken aback.

Elizaveta blinked, forgetting that Madelyn was there. She blushed and corrected herself, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you."

"It's okay," Madelyn waved her off. "It happens all the time."

Arthur also didn't know that the girl was there. The prince also did not know her name and for that matter he didn't really know any of the people he was travelling with, "I don't know who any of you people are. You could be leading me to my death at this moment and I wouldn't even know it."

"To be fair, you were already on your way to death," Gilbert mumbled which was followed by a harsh jab in the ribs by Alfred.

Arthur heard the remark. His shoulders got a bit straighter and his eyes sadder. He turned his face away from the group, trying to hide his emotions. He sucked in a breath, "I suppose you're correct."

Arthur felt his heart drop and his mind began to cloud up. His eyes were staring but they didn't seem to be seeing. His arms tightened around himself and his body started to tremble. He forced his arms to his side and swiveled towards the direction they were heading, "Well, let's… let's get a move on…"

"Arthur, we can take you back," Elizaveta began. Arthur just shook his head and continued walking.

"Hey, well, we have a carriage just outside the gates so we'll get you set up on it," Alfred walked faster to catchup to Arthur.

Madelyn shot Gilbert a look. Gilbert raised his shoulders, "What? It's true."

"Could you imagine losing Ludwig?" Madelyn stated more than asked, "Because I couldn't imagine losing Alfred. Especially being witness to the death? Could you handle that Gil?"

For once, the group noticed Madelyn. Her words rang through them.

"Little Maddie has a good point," Ivan agreed, thinking deeply, "I could think about all the ways in which I would react to the murdering of my sisters but I do not think that any of them are true."

The other three nodded in understanding before Ivan continued, "I always think that I would bash that person's head in and leave it at that but I feel as though it would really be a long and torturous process that involved me ripping their sorry excuse for a body into tiny pieces and forcing that person to choke down the bloody remains of themselves." Ivan's face grew dark and a crazed smile stretched across his face.

Just as quickly though it turned into a simpler more childlike expression, "but that is only in theory, friends." He finished before continuing on to walk with Alfred and Arthur.

Gilbert leaned towards the two women, "Have I ever told you that Ivan is a fucking nutcase? Because I think it needs to be said more."

Madelyn nodded slowly, "Just be careful, you know how Alfred feels about him." Gilbert just rolled his eyes and started bickering with Elizaveta again.

By the time the group reached the carriage Arthur was no longer trembling but he looked no better than before. Alfred threw the prince's luggage into the back of the carriage and helped Arthur up the step. With Arthur being numb to what was around him, he hardly noticed that he had stopped walking. He looked around the carriage. There was no seating other than a few empty wooden boxes turned upside down. Some large bags were leaning against the sides which he presumed to be food and equipment. Arthur peered out the opening of where the driver would sit. Gilbert was helping Madelyn ready the horses while Elizaveta checked off their supplies. Ivan seated himself at the reigns. Ivan turned his head slightly so as to see Arthur better.

"They are harsh on the ears but you will soon grow to trust them," Ivan smiled though it did nothing to settle Arthur's restlessness. He felt sick and he felt his head spin.

"If you say so," He whispered and retreated back inside only to bump into Alfred who had finished loading up the carriage. Arthur stumbled back and would have fallen out the opening by Ivan had Alfred not grabbed a hold of his arm. Alfred pulled him forward, straightening him out.

"Woah, ya okay there?" Alfred smiled hopefully.

Arthur looked up at Alfred's bright blue eyes before passing out.

…

"Hey, man! How're ya feelin'?"

Such a loud voice for Arthur to wake up to, he almost wished he hadn't woken up at all. He quickly shook that thought out of his head. He coughed and blinked his eyes. It was surprisingly dark outside and quite chilly.

He shivered and then felt the warmth of a blanket being wrapped around him. He found that he was sitting on the floor leaning against Alfred.

"Are you feeling okay?" Alfred asked again.

Arthur looked up at Alfred and choked out a reply, "Water?"

Alfred brightened up, "Oh yeah, sure!"

He leaned away briefly to grab at a canteen. He twisted the cap off and handed the bottle to Arthur. Arthur's hands fumbled a bit, still weak from having fainted. He held the opening up to his mouth and took large gulps, feeling the liquid loosening his sticky throat. He handed the canteen back to Alfred and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes once more.

"The others fell asleep about an hour ago," Alfred put the lid back on, "Ivan's still up but he kind of zones out when he's drivin'. You've been out for about four hours, does that normally happen?"

Arthur starred in front in him, "Not normally, no."

After a few moments of silence Alfred spoke up, "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened back there."

Arthur looked at him in the corner of his eyes, "Yes well…"

"Gil's not usually such an ass… Well actually he his but I mean he's not usually an ass like that," Alfred hurried to correct himself.

Arthur shook his head a tad and waved Alfred off, "It's fine."

"I'm sorry," Alfred cleared his throat, his tone changing somewhat to a more serious one, "I'm glad you didn't change your mind. We really do want to help you, Arthur, or at least try to."

Arthur clenched his jaw, "It's fine, Alfred." Arthur's head began to hurt.

Alfred became quiet; he started fidgeting with the edge of the blanket that was draped around Arthur. Alfred looked over to where the others were. Gilbert, Madelyn, and Elizaveta were all cuddled together in one corner of the carriage.

A cold draft blew through the carriage. Madelyn curled into Gilbert, her head resting in the crook of his neck. Alfred shivered and unconsciously moved closer to Arthur's warm body.

"Here."

"Huh?" Alfred looked down at Arthur who was holding the blanket up in offering. "Oh, thanks." Alfred took a hold of the blanket and adjusted it so it now covered the both of them.

"We are almost there." Ivan spoke up, startling Arthur and Alfred, "Only a few minutes more."

They pulled up to a small inn. It took Ivan a few minutes to maneuver the horses into a decent area as the area was already filled with carriages and vehicles, "It seems to me that there may not be enough beds."

"Nah, I'm sure it'll be fine," Alfred insisted.

….

"We only have three beds available."

"That's," Alfred did some math, "not enough beds."

"Da, I will sleep with the horses tonight," Ivan separated himself from the group.

"Is there any way we can get at least one more bed?" Alfred pleaded.

"No, partner up," The inn keeper tossed two sets of keys to Alfred, "second floor, first two doors on the right. Extra linen down the hall, have fun."

"Uh, thanks," Alfred scratched his head.

"Well, let's go up and get things sorted," Elizaveta suggested, "I'm sure we can make a pallet or something on the floor."

"I'm bunking with Maddie," Gilbert leaned heavily against the woman, still groggy from the short sleep.

"We know, Gil," Alfred grimaced.

They found the rooms after a few mistakes of walking in on other people. Gilbert, Madelyn, and Elizaveta shared one room. Alfred and Arthur shared the other room. Alfred patted down a makeshift bed on the floor and Arthur quietly sat on the edge of the bed while Alfred worked.

"There, that should be good!" Alfred flopped down onto his creation.

"Yes, well," Arthur stood from the bed and awkwardly rummaged through his bags, searching for night clothing.

"Are you going to be changing?" Arthur looked over Alfred's worn and dirty clothing.

"Nah, I'll just have'ta get back into these," He said and threw the blanket up to his face, blocking out the light of the room.

Arthur scoffed.

"Hey, fine, I'll change in a bit."

Arthur rolled his eyes and went about readying himself for bed.

….

"_Hey, jerk!" the small boy sneered at Arthur._

"_What're you doing over there? Stay by my side!" Arthur pointed to the area next to him._

"_Only if you can catch me!" the boy stuck his tongue out and ran down an alley._

"_Peter! Wait!" Arthur ran after him. At such a late time there were no people for Arthur to push through._

_A sharp scream pierced the air. Arthur's body froze as he stared down the alley. The smallness of Peter's body seemed to be enhanced by the large man standing over him. Arthur could smell the alcohol in the air. Arthur could smell the blood that was slowly pooling around Peter's body._

_The drunken man twisted the knife in farther. Peter let out a muffled gasp, his head lulled back. The man dropped the child's body and stumbled back. He spat on Peter's face._

"_Fuckin' brat," His words sloshed together._

_Arthur's breathing grew rapid; he was hardly able to think. The world around him started to spin. He started shouting incoherent words at the man. It startled the drunkard and he hurriedly made his way out of the alley._

"_Fuck," Arthur took a step forward._

"_Fuck," He felt his stomach churn._

"_Peter," He dropped down to his brother._

"_No," His hands shook, hovering over the tiny body._

"_Please," He pulled Peter's body close._

"_Why," Dark eyes stared up at Arthur._

"_You didn't save me, you jerk." Peter, as though he was never harmed, talked to Arthur._

"_I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, Peter," Arthur cried._

"_It's your fault that I'm dead," Peter raised his arms toward Arthur._

"_It's your fault and now you have to die too, repent for your sins, BROTHER," Peter's weak hands were now gripped tight around Arthur's throat._

"_S-sto.. Pet-.." Arthur clawed at his brother's hands._

"_YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT A BETTER EYE ON ME!"_

"_YOU JERK."_

"_JERK."_

"_ARTHUR."_

"_Arthur."_

"Arthur, wake up!"

Arthur jolted out of bed, pushing Alfred out of the way. He rushed into the bathroom, hardly making it to the toilet. Alfred came in almost immediately. He dropped down next to Arthur. He rubbed his back and held his bangs out of his face. Eventually Arthur's vomiting turned into gagging.

"Hey, shhh, it's alright," Alfred stood to get a wet wash cloth.

Arthur gagged for what seemed a long time until it subsided and he was only crying. Alfred leaned Arthur back, away from the toilet, and into his arms. He cleaned Arthur's face off and occasionally had to push Arthur's hands away as he kept trying to hide his crying face.

"Hey, it's alright, everything's okay,"

Arthur collapsed against Alfred. Large trembles shook his body as he clung to his only support. Alfred rubbed deep circles in Arthur's back. His large, warm hands seemed to calm Arthur down.

Quiet sniffles floated through the silence until Arthur fell asleep. Alfred gazed at the sleeping prince. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the awful sounds that Arthur had been making in his sleep. Alfred soon fell asleep, his back aching from the position but never the less, he tightened his arms around Arthur.


End file.
